ENGAGED – THE STORY

The start to this exciting new journey. Read about how it all happened.

I met David when I was in high school through one of my school friends. It was an instant crush, and I would enjoy stalking him on Facebook and sending screenshots of his profile pictures to my best friend (come on girls…tell me I’m not the only one). It wasn’t until a couple of years later that he got my number from a friend and asked me out for lunch when we really hit it off.

Fast-forward to now and we have been dating for almost four years and the journey has been one of the most magical times of my life. David was my first boyfriend and I was his first girlfriend, which meant that we got to learn everything about dating, together. Of course there have been challenges along the way, but we have grown and matured so much and our relationship has just gone from strength to strength as we learn more about each other and how to love each other better.

We had known for a while that we wanted to get married and felt in our hearts that we had found a soul mate in each other. However, we wanted to make sure that the timing was right before making the next big decision for our lives. Things became a reality towards the end of 2016, when we started talking about our “timeline” more seriously and decided to start looking at engagement rings (I’ll do a whole separate blog post about the engagement ring part). We have always been very open in our relationship and make decisions together, so it wasn’t a big surprise for me. I knew David had asked my dad permission to marry me and we had finalised our ring design around March, so the ball was now in his court.

My first suspicions arose when I received my work roster and had Friday through to Monday rostered off for no reason. I usually work the whole weekend, so this is extremely rare! David finally revealed to me on the Wednesday before that we were going to Sydney and leaving on Friday morning. I was really impressed that he even booked me in to get my nails done at my favourite nail salon, MediPedi Nail Spa, so my nails would be on point for the occasion (so, it was pretty obvious what was happening at this stage).

We were blessed with amazing weather and sunshine for the whole four days that we were in Sydney and we spent our first day relaxing and exploring the beautiful city. David had given me strict instructions that this weekend was a treat for me and that I couldn’t try to plan anything, which was very hard for my inner control freak (haha!).

Saturday was THE DAY. David had planned the whole day with surprises for me all along and made sure that there was plenty of time to relax and enjoy the moments too. We started with one and a half hour massages which was such a treat. The massage was so relaxing and helped to take away some of the nerves I was feeling. That said, I was certainly not expecting the masseuse to start massaging my face and hair – eeek. She clearly did not realise that this girl was potentially getting engaged today and needed to look her best – I had not spent the morning curling my hair and doing my make up for no reason! I was cringing inside while she was rubbing oil all over my face and in my hair and ruffling my curls, and I was thinking that I was going to look like an absolute disaster when it’s over. Thank goodness I had packed my touch up kit in my bag – a lesson to always be prepared ladies!

After our massages (and fixing myself up), David casually suggested we do a little shopping and wandering around the city. Little did I know that he had another surprise up his sleeve. We walked past Zimmermann which is one of my favourite Australian labels, but unfortunately since I am only a uni student, I usually just admire the beautiful clothes from afar. I was a bit confused when he persistently suggested we go inside and have a look. When he finally convinced me, despite my reminding that I can’t afford anything (#studentlife), there was a beautiful silk jumpsuit waiting for me in a dressing room. He had chosen it and bought it a week ago, and now I just had to change into it and wear it for the day – cue the first round of tears. Walking out of Zimmermann feeling like a million dollars in my beautiful jumpsuit, we then enjoyed a light lunch before jumping into a cab and heading over the bridge to breathtaking Lavender Bay.

I was absolutely blown away when we arrived in Lavender bay. It was so peaceful, with the most beautiful garden and views of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House in the distance. I remember thinking, this is it, he is going to propose here. We walked through Wendy’s Secret Garden, and David told me of the heartwarming story behind this hidden gem. Wendy Whitley was married to Australian artist Brett Whitely. When he died some 25 years ago, she channelled her love and grief into transforming the space below their private home in Lavender Bay into a magical secret garden space for the public to enjoy. After exploring the garden, we made our way through to the bottom which revealed a breathtaking view of the Harbour and we stood together looking out at all of the boats on the bay. One particular boat caught my eye. It was a beautiful Italian looking wooden speedboat, and I pointed it out to David, saying that it looked like it belonged in a James Bond film. I bet David was so happy when he heard this, because out of all of the boats that were there, I happened to pick out the very one that was waiting for us. “Well, guess what?…we are going on that boat”, was his reply which followed with my second round of tears for the day. This was quite a special moment because it was the moment when the reality of the significance of the day hit both of us. Our whole lives we had wondered who we would end up with and we had been anticipating this day for a long time…and there we were, about to make one of our most important decisions together. If my make up wasn’t ruined from that massage, it sure was by this stage!

The boat ride was so much fun, and we had a great driver who made it very relaxed, as he pointed out landmarks and chatted to us. People on other boats and ferries waved at us as they sailed past, so we felt like celebrities (move over Nicole and Keith)! About 45 minutes in, we stopped at a more secluded part of the harbour and went to relax at the back on the boat and enjoy the view. And that’s when it happened. David leaned towards me and I can still remember him saying, “Hey Bella, I have something to ask you”, as he got up on one knee. He proceeded to tell me why he loves me and wants to spend the rest of his life with me (it’s all a bit of a blur now), and pulled the ring box out of his pocket and presented my dream Cassandra Mamone ring to me (it was upside down at first, haha). I couldn’t have said yes quicker and it was the most special moment of my life so far. Our boat captain had been snapping up pictures the whole time and then brought out some Moet & Chandon champagne for us to celebrate. We were on cloud nine and were just trying to take it all in and savour the moment as we finished our journey around the harbour.

We were dropped off at Potts Point and after watching our boat speed off into the sunset, David told me that he had another surprise for me. After a short stroll, we arrived at a beautiful florist, Poho Flowers, where there was a beautiful big bunch of romantic roses and dahlias waiting for me. I was feeling extremely overwhelmed at this point and couldn’t believe how thoughtful he had been, but David said, “I can’t not buy you your favourite thing (flowers) on this special occasion”. We sat in a nearby park and called our family and closest friends to share the news, while munching on some Pringles from the nearby servo because that champagne had gone to my head, haha!

The final surprise was a beautiful dinner at Aria, which has one of the best views of the Bridge and Opera House. I did a quick shoe change in the bathroom and then we enjoyed a delicious four course meal, while enjoying the beautiful view. It was the perfect way to sit back and savour and process the day together. It truly was everything I could have dreamed of and more, and I was so blown away by the attention to detail and thoughtful planning that David had put into every aspect. It still feels quite surreal, but I am so excited to start planning my wedding, and look forward to sharing the journey with you.